Regina Spektor: “Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)”

March 26, 2012

Last month, we heard the sample-driven, more urgent side of Regina Spektor in the form of “All the Rowboats,” but today’s second taste from her forthcoming Mike Elizondo-produced LP, What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, finds the NYC singer-songwriter in some familiar, whimsical territory. “Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)” is a charming piano-pop number, complete with a calypso backbeat, an indelible, horn-bolstered melody, and even some steel drum buried a bit in the mix. Where the last preview recalled moments off Fiona Apple’s own Elizondo-assisted effort, Extraordinary Machine, this one shares the upbeat mood and colorful textures of Nellie McKay’s latest effort to these ears. That said, it’s an instant-classic Regina cut through and through — one which appeared in an earlier form on 2002’s Songs. Hear it below: